Bra cup with improved functionality

ABSTRACT

A bra cup, comprising a first layer of open-cell or semi-open cell foamed polyurethane, having one side with a polyester fabric, coupled to an additional layer of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam, also provided with a layer of polyester fabric, at least one layer of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric with fibers of synthetic materials adapted to withstand thermoforming temperatures being inserted between the coupled layers of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam.

The present invention relates to a bra cup with increased functionality. More specifically, the invention relates to a bra cup with high transverse elasticity and reduced longitudinal elasticity, and a bra made with such cups, as well as a method of producing the cup/bra.

As is known, a bra is an item of clothing that is very widely used and of vital importance for women.

Currently, conventional bras are made by way of substantially four construction techniques.

A first technique is for making a bra from fabric, without cups made of thermoformed foam and without underwires. The specific components that make up the cups are thermoformed fabrics that are assembled with an operation of stitching or gluing or by seamless thermoforming of tubular portions. The bra thus provided ensures basic wearability but without support for the breasts, and therefore such type of garment is used as a top for sports use or daily use.

A second technique is for making a bra from fabric, without thermoformed foam cups, but with underwires. The specific components that make up the cups are sewn or thermoformed fabrics which are assembled with metallic underwires with adapted containment tubes made of plush fabric which are assembled with a stitching operation. The bra thus provided ensures good basic wearability, but with cumbersome thicknesses in the region where the underwires are attached.

A third technique is for making a bra from fabric, with thermoformed cups and with underwires. The thermoformed cups in polyurethane or the like are coupled, with stitching operations, to the outer coverings of the cups. Subsequently they are assembled with metallic underwires with adapted containment tubes made of plush fabric which are assembled with a stitching operation. The bra thus provided ensures very comfortable wearability, but with cumbersome thicknesses in the region where the underwires are attached.

A fourth technique involves making a bra from fabric with thermoformed cups without the presence of underwires, but with inserts in megol or similar materials. During the thermoforming process of thermoformed polyurethane cups/bras or the like, inserts made of megol or similar materials are inserted, thus giving the bra an adequate level of support, but with an increase in the minimum thicknesses of the cup in order to accommodate the megol inserts in the undercup region. The bra thus provided ensures very comfortable wearability, but with cumbersome thicknesses in the region where the inserts are. This type of technology can be used for cups/bras with graduated push-up cups, and not for cups with reduced thicknesses or cups with graduations without push-ups.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a bra cup with improved functionality, which is capable of ensuring a high level of elasticity without using inserts made of megol or similar materials inserted in the cup during the thermoforming process, or the coupling of underwires made of thermoplastic or steel to be fixed to the cup with a stitching operation in order to give the bra the correct level of elasticity.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a bra cup with improved functionality which can be produced without using underwires that are assembled with a sewing machine, thus increasing the comfort of the garment when worn.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bra cup with improved functionality, which has a reduced thickness in comparison to bras made with conventional inserts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bra that has the cups with increased functionality, and also to devise a method of producing the cup/bra.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bra cup with improved functionality which is highly reliable, easily and practically implemented and low cost.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a bra cup, comprising a first layer of open-cell or semi-open cell foamed polyurethane, having one side with a polyester fabric, coupled to an additional layer of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam, also provided with a layer of polyester fabric, characterized in that at least one layer of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric with fibers of synthetic materials adapted to withstand thermoforming temperatures is inserted between said coupled layers of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the bra cup according to the present invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway, exploded perspective view of a set of layers for providing the bra cup according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the set of layers according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the step of thermoforming the set of layers in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the female die with the thermoformed set of layers;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the set of layers after the thermoforming step;

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a bra with the cups according to the present invention.

With reference to the figures, the bra cup according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a first layer 2 made of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam, which is coupled to a polyester fabric that is adapted to withstand thermoforming temperatures without resulting in variations of color tones.

The cup 1 further comprises a second layer 3 of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam which is coupled, with lamination operations, to a polyester fabric that is adapted to withstand thermoforming temperatures without resulting in variations of color tones.

The layer of polyester fabric coupled to the layer 3 is designated by the reference numeral 3 a.

At least one layer 5 of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric with fibers of synthetic materials adapted to withstand thermoforming temperatures is interposed between the first layer 2 and the second layer 3, which are arranged facing each other, with the polyurethane foam surfaces facing each other.

More specifically, the above mentioned fibers can be fibers of polyester, nylon, Kevlar, polyamides or partial compositions thereof.

In general, the fibers used are fibers of materials that are adapted to ensure a reduced longitudinal elasticity and a high transverse elasticity.

Conveniently, the layer 5 is configured in the shape of a strip and is superimposed on a portion of the layer of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane.

Advantageously, the strip 5 can have a layer of adhesive coupled thereto and the strip 5 is thus in this case adapted to be glued to the polyurethane, thus fixing it in the required position.

Usually, the strip 5 is arranged on the foam so as to be in the lower portion of the cup defined on the foam, so as to substantially affect about half of the surface of the cup.

Such extension of the strip 5 obviously can vary according to requirements and to the degree of elasticity that it is desired to give the bra cup.

The cup thus provided can be paired with a similar cup in order to provide a complete garment, i.e. a bra made up from two standard cups.

If the bra is instead thermoformed when directly assembled, i.e. with the two cups 1 already joined together, then the two strips 5 of material are arranged substantially inclined with respect to each other, with the inclination chosen so as to obtain different properties of wearability and support according to requirements.

In this manner it is possible to obtain a bra cup, and therefore a bra, which has a high support capacity, while not using underwires or layers/inserts made of megol.

The invention further relates to a method for producing the above mentioned cup or the entire bra as discussed previously.

In particular, the method involves positioning, on a surface, a rectangle 2 of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam, as previously described, coupled to a layer of polyester fabric 2 a that is adapted to withstand thermoforming temperatures without resulting in variations of color tones.

Such layer is arranged with the surface with the polyurethane foam 2 arranged upwardly.

At this point, at least one strip 5 with the surface with the thermo-adhesive directed toward the polyurethane foam 2 a is positioned above the rectangle of polyurethane foam, in the position with the required inclination in order to modify the elasticity of the foam.

Subsequently, a further layer of foam 3, laminated to a layer of fabric 3 a, is positioned above the rectangle prepared previously, where the surface of the foam that is not laminated with the fabric is turned downwardly so that the two foam surfaces are facing each other.

The previously-obtained two-part element, comprised of two rectangles of foam with the strips, is then positioned in a thermoforming machine 10 for foams, over an aluminum female mold part 11 with a 3D female profile 12 that reflects the outer shape of the cups or bra, which is conveniently heated to a suitable temperature for the thermoforming process.

A male mold part 13 is fixed on the moving table of the thermoforming machine at the female mold part, and is also conveniently heated to a suitable temperature for thermoforming, having a 3D male profile 14 that reflects the inner shape of the cups/bra.

After the thermoforming operation, the upper, male mold part 13 fixed on the table of the thermoforming machine is repositioned in the fully open position and the operator removes the thermoformed two-part element 20 with the cups/bra.

With successive operations of die-punch cutting, whether with manual systems or with robots, the cups/bra are extracted from the outer swarf present in the two-part element 20.

It should be noted that the thermoforming can also be done with strips 5 that are free from adhesive.

The cups/bra thus obtained have completely different elasticity characteristics from cups/bras of identical shape and using identical materials, but without inner strips 5.

A cup provided according to the invention, when subjected laterally to lateral traction, will not deform, while this occurs with a cup made with the known art when it is subjected to the same lateral traction.

The method according to the invention makes it possible to render the cups/bra rigid where necessary, in order to increase the support for the breasts, i.e. in the undercup region (by positioning the strips 5 with elastic and/or thermoadhesive properties inside the two-part element) and leave all the elasticity that is obtained with the known art in the upper region of the cup, where a stiffening would compromise the wearability of the garment and its comfort.

In practice it has been found that the cup according to the present invention, the bra thus obtained and also the described method fully achieve the intended aim and objects, in that they make it possible to obtain a cup with optimal support, without the use of underwires or megol inserts.

This further entails a reduced thickness of the garment, to the advantage of the wearability thereof.

The cup, the bra and the method thus conceived are susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials employed, and the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2013A001743 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs. 

1-9. (canceled)
 10. A bra cup, comprising a first layer of open-cell or semi-open cell foamed polyurethane, having one side with a polyester fabric, coupled to an additional layer of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam, also provided with a layer of polyester fabric, wherein at least one layer of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric with fibers of synthetic materials adapted to withstand thermoforming temperatures is inserted between said coupled layers of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam.
 11. The cup according to claim 10, wherein said synthetic materials of said layer of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric comprise fibers of polyester or nylon or polyamides or Kevlar or partial compositions thereof.
 12. The cup according to claim 10, wherein said layer of material with fabric or non-woven fabric with synthetic materials comprises a thermoadhesive layer.
 13. The cup according to claim 10, wherein said at least one layer of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric with fibers of synthetic materials is arranged at the lower portion of the cup and is extended approximately to about half of the surface of the cup.
 14. A bra comprising a first cup and a second cup connected to each other, wherein said first and second cups are cups according to claim
 10. 15. A method for providing a cup of a bra, comprising the steps of: arranging a layer of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam, to which a layer of polyester fabric is coupled at one side; arranging on said layer of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam at least one layer of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric with fibers of synthetic materials adapted to withstand thermoforming temperatures; arranging above said layer of open-cell or semi-open cell polyurethane foam, and therefore on said at least one layer of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric with fibers of synthetic materials, a second layer of polyurethane foam that is similar to the first layer, so as to form a two-part element; thermoforming said two-part element; cutting said cup from said thermoformed two-part element.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said synthetic materials of said layer of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric comprise fibers of polyester or nylon or polyamides or Kevlar or partial compositions thereof.
 17. The method according to claim 15, wherein said layer of material made of fabric or non-woven fabric with synthetic materials comprises a thermoadhesive layer. 